Responsible Research and Innovation in industrial context

Specific Challenge

Evidence is needed on how the RRI approach, in particular the opening up of the innovation process to social actors, can improve the development process and the quality of the final outcomes of research and innovation in the industrial context. Existing initiatives such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have set first steps but improved business governance is needed that deeply embeds creativity, scalability, responsiveness, "glocality", circularity and societal engagement.

Scope

This action will support projects that demonstrate how to implement RRI in process development (via stakeholder involvement, taking account of gender differences, Corporate Social Responsibility, etc.) and in quality of the final outcomes (complying with standards relating to sustainability, precautionary principle, gender and ethics, among others). The proposals shall foster collaboration between actors from industry, research and civil society to jointly define and implement a concrete roadmap for the responsible development of particular technologies, products or services within up to three specific research/innovation fields, enabling a detailed comparative assessment. It can for example develop an RRI-inspired ‘CSR 2.0’ roadmap and implementation plan that is demonstrated, tested, and assessed by the partners involved in the action. Overall, the proposals shall pilot and demonstrate how industry and societal actors can work productively together according to the Responsible Research and Innovation approach, delivering practical evidence of the benefits for industry at large to follow up on a similar path.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 1 and 1.5 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

This action allows for the provision of financial support to third parties in line with the conditions set out in Part K of the General Annexes.

Expected impact

Better uptake of the RRI approach and of the gender dimension in research by industrial actors. In the medium term, the action aims to increase public-private partnership in the innovation process, to increase the social value and acceptability of innovation, and facilitate the emergence of new business models that embed sustainability and social responsibility throughout the entire business process. In the long term, it aims to contribute towards the innovation and competiveness objectives of the Innovation Union and to enhanced ‘mainstreaming’ and standardisation of RRI and CSR processes at the EU and Global level.